Strings Attached
by temarisgf
Summary: Kakashi's body rejecting the Sharingan forces him to make a decision; let the eye die, or give it to a compatible recipient. (sharingan!sakura)


_what follows next is a series of illogical medical mumbo jumbo. if you're science oriented like me, don't let it put you off, it's just magical chakra medicine, it doesn't have to make sense… i hope. madara did pluck out kakashi's sharingan like a buttplug then put it in on his face, just like that._

* * *

"I'm sorry, Kakashi. Even if we were to keep the treatment going, the eye would just naturally fall out."

Kakashi nodded, forcing back a wince when he felt his left eye throb painfully with the movement.

He should never have been able to get the Sharingan anyway. The only reason the eye's held onto his face for that long was the incredible women taking care of him.

First, there was Rin. She was able to transplant an entire eyeball while on the battlefield using only her chakra and her talent. At only fourteen, she revolutionized medicine, creating a medical jutsu allowing a non compatible recipient to accomodate an organ for a period of time.

Then Kakashi managed to hold onto Obito's gift a little longer with the help of Lady Tsunade and Shizune. When his body started showing signs of rejection, the Sannin came up with a biannual chakra treatment plan. It was experimental and Tsunade herself had no idea how long the his body would let the eye stay.

_"It coul be weeks, or it could be years," _she'd said. It was fifteen years. He really thought he'd be able to live out his life with the Sharingan, the last material, tangible thing he had to remember his late teammates by.

"We did our best to prolong the inevitable, but I think it's time you start thinking of what you want to do next," Shizune continued softly.

He only knew what he didn't want; he didn't want lose the eye. He didn't want to say goodbye to the last connection he had to Rin and Obito. But most of all, he didn't want it to die. The Sharingan was the only aspect of his life that he hasn't failed Obito with.

He knew what his options were. He could either have the eye taken out now and Tsunade would have it detroyed to respect the secrecy of the Uchiha clan, or he could choose a new host. None of these options seemed very appealing right now, but his window was closing.

"I want to keep the eye alive, to keep his memory alive…" Kakashi started, "But for that to happen - "

"You'll need a new recipient."

"I don't know if he'd want that. Obito gave me the Sharingan, not because he wanted a legacy, or something to be remembered by. He just wanted me to have it because he trusted me."

Shizune took off her surgical gloves and sat down on the hospital bed next to Kakashi. She tried to catch his eye but his gaze was fixed on his knees, so she placed a comforting hand on his lap.

"Kakashi… you're right. Obito gave _you_ the eye. He would want you to do what you want with it, he'd want you to be happy. And I don't think you'd be happier letting it die than giving it to someone else."

He snorted quietly, a sharp exhale of air through his nose. She knew him too well.

Maybe he did want to keep the eye alive. At whatever cost. He's sure a lot of peope would line up at the opportunity to gain the most powerful doujutsu of all time. It's really a matter of who.

"Yeah, you're right. And I'd be lying if I said I'd never thought about who I'd give it to before. I'm just not sure it would be the right move, it feels weird that I have to make this decision. In a way, it still feels too much like Obito's eye."

"Then… choose someone you know Obito would approve of."

* * *

It ended up being great advice. Someone Obito would approve of is someone Kakashi knows is a respectable ninja, sensitive to what the gift he would give them represents and appreciative of it.

He did think of his students first, obviously. They were the most important people to him and he knows them better than anyone else, he knows they are good people. Sasuke is out of the question though, obviously. Not only does he already possess the doujutsu but he's also fled the village, betraying them.

Naruto.

He was the obvious choice. The boy is practically Obito reincarnate. But again, he already had a tailed beast to deal with, and he was not even in the village at the moment.

Then there was Sakura. Kakashi was sure Obito would have loved the girl. She even reminded Kakashi of Rin, sometimes, even more so now that she was a medic kunoichi. Plus, if Obito were here, he would want to know Sakura could protect herself and what's a better way to do that than with the Sharingan?

So it's true, he did think of his students first. But he never considered them. Not for one second.

The Sharingan is a lot for anyone to take in. It's a lot for anyone to manipulate. He's not about to burden another teenager with a power that unstable. Kakashi promised himself he wouldn't involve them in this matter, and he'll stick to his promise.

He already had someone in mind during his talk with Shizune, hence why he was standing in front of Kurenai right now.

"I… Kakashi, I can't accept, I'm sorry."

The man sighed, "Look, you're a genjutsu type. The most talented in Konoha, actually. You're the most fit to wield this power, so please, consider my request."

"You're right, I am. My genjutsu can rival an Uchiha's, and I managed to attain this level by my own making. So, accepting this power now… I'm sorry, it's not me."

"I never knew you to be so prideful, Kurenai," he chuckled, "I - I know it may feel like you'd be betraying yourself if you accepted the Sharingan, but you've already proven your worth. This is just the next step towards your greatness."

* * *

"What do you mean she's not compatible? You told me she had the same bloodtype, and that her genjutsu affinity made the Sharingan a definite shoe in for her."

Shizune sighed, "It's something we've just discovered, um - "

"It was always a possibility, but now my suspicions are confirmed." Tsunade cut her off, "Kakashi, you technically should never have been able to get the transplant. Not only were you incompatible, but the eye is a also bloodline. We thought you were rejecting the eye, but the eye was rejecting you."

Of course. How has he never considered that before? Rin must have been an even greater medic nin than he thought if she managed to make him and almost everyone else forget about that little – huge – problem.

Kakashi turned to the red eyed woman, an apologetic look on his face, "I'm sorry, Kurenai." Fuck. She didn't even want this at first and he had to go and convince her it was a great idea. He just had give her false hope, like an asshole. God, what an asshole.

"It's ok, Kakashi. _I'm_ sorry, I know how much this meant to you."

Only an Uchiha could receive the Sharingan.

And he's not about to give it to Kurenai so ten years down the line she'll give it someone else. It's over.

* * *

Today was the day. The time was now. It was better to remove the doujutsu than to have it fall out in the middle of a fight whilst still activated anyway. Kakashi just wished he could hold onto it longer. Tsunade came back to the operating room, her hands cleaned and gloved. Before she could put her hands on him to inject her chakra-anesthetic, Shizune grabbed her wrist. The Sannin growled.

"Wait! I think there's a way to save the eye!"

Kakashi got up from his horizontal position in half a second, "What is it?"

What was the solution that not even Tsunade could think of?

"It is true that, the eye would only naturally adapt on an Uchiha or maybe a Hyuuga but - "

"The Hyuugas would never accept."

The Sharingan was a mutation of the Byakugan, so the two clans must share some common ancestors. But the Hyuugas were a proud people, they would never accept one of them to be the bearer of a Sharingan.

"I know that, let me finish. There is someone else that could take the Sharingan; a medic ninja. If one were to take the eye, they could keep it indefinitely by using healing chakra."

"That's that we've been doing with Kakashi."

"Yes, and it couldn't work on the long term, because the moments where the eye had to function only on Kakashi's chakra were also severing the link between the eye and his brain. It has to be continuous."

"I see," Tsunade smirked, "Tell me, did you come up with this by thinking of the Byakugou?"

"Well, yes and no."

"How would this work, then?" Kakashi chimed in.

"You see how Tsunade's always regenerating her chakra, keeping her appearance young? And do you know how the Byakugou works? Basically, it works as seperate reserve of chakra, one that she's continuously feeding."

Kakashi seemed to catch on.

"So… if a medic ninja were to have the Sharingan transplanted, they'd have to constanly regenerate the chakra in the links between them and the eye, the same way Tsunade feeds her Byakugou and regenerates her appearance, but with green chakra?"

It seemed to good to be true. On top of that, medic nins having a lot of chakra would help them manipulate the Sharingan that consumes so much of it.

Shizune smiled, "Exactly."

He sat up even straighter, "Would you take the Sharingan?"

"I – I'm sorry, I was never able to achieve the kind of precision it takes to get the Byakugou, it's a very complicated technique that only one person in the world perfected." Shizune finished, looking at Tsunade.

"I'm not taking the Sharingan. I have my hands full already."

"I know, I was thinking about Sakura."

Tsunade nodded and started pacing around the room, thinking out loud, "Well, she is well on her way to one day develop the Byakugou, I've already noticed a lot of progress in her chakra control… plus the last time I talked to her about it, she said she finally managed to create the seperate cell for the Byakugou chakra… if she were to give that up and concentrate on the eye… no… I have no doubt that she's capable of doing both…"

It was even harder than Kakashi could conceive. Not only would Sakura have to constantly regenerate the link between her and the eye, she'd also have to do it using green chakra. It would take her months of practice to learn do it unconsciously.

"No, I can't ask her to take on that responsibility. She already has enough on her plate, with everything." Everything being; her medical training, her taijutsu training, Sasuke fucking off with Orochimaru and Naruto fucking off with Jiraiya.

Poor girl.

"Take the time to think about it, ok? And if you still feel the same way, we'll reschedule the surgery."

He won't ask her. He can't ask her. He shouldn't ask her.

* * *

"Sakura, I need to talk to you," _I'm sorry, Sakura. I hope you say no_, Kakashi thought.

As he told the pinkette everything, Kakashi realized how little he's moved on since his genin team's death. More than a decade has passed, and his heart still hurt when he thought about them. Rin, Obito, Minato-sensei… There is a part of him that hoped Sakura refused, yes, but a more dominating part hoped she'd accept.

He finished, and waited for Sakura to answer. She seemed to consider her next words carefully.

"I don't know Kakashi-sensei, I'm flattered but… I don't think Sasuke would want me to have it."

"The Sharingan should go to someone close to an Uchiha."

"That's just it. I don't know if we were ever close. I grew up a lot these past two years and I think I understand him better now. Um, I'm sorry…"

He smiled, "It's ok, Sakura."

* * *

Should she have accepted?

If it were a Byakugan, Sakura knew she would have in a heartbeat. What kind of a kunoichi would say no to being given a greater power, an advantage during battle and a rare kekkei genkai? But what kind of a person would she be if she'd accepted the eye, regardless of the Uchiha culture, regardless of the last actual Uchiha's feelings about it?

(Sakura didn't consider Itachi to be an Uchiha. He gave up that right when he decimated his own clan and traumatized Sasuke for the rest of his life.)

The problem is that Sakura realized all too well what bearing the Sharingan would imply. Not just the powers it would give her or the recognition she'd no doubt get – like Kakashi – but also the burden that came with the doujutsu. The burden of angering Sasuke, of becoming a part of a culture she had no idea what was like, the burden of power and responsibility.

The burden of having in her grasps the object her sensei valued most.

But she had to consider Kakashi. She could tell how much the eye and its original bearer meant to him. Accepting the Sharingan would mean helping Kakashi breathe a little easier.

She had to do it.

Sakura didn't waste any time, putting on her shoes and rushing through the door of her house. She ran on the roofs towards the center of village and jumped on the balcony of the Hokage's office. She knocked on the bay window before opening it and entering without waiting for permission.

"Sakura! You may be my student but you still have to follow basic rules!" Tsunade growled.

"I'm sorry, this couldn't wait! I, um, I want to do the surgery. For the Sharingan."

"Oh. Well, this is something you should tell Shizune, not me."

"What? Why?"

"She's the one that would be doing the surgery, since we'll have to do it in a safe place outside the village. I won't be able to come, I _am_ the Hokage you know."

* * *

They had to move to a nearby village in the Land of Fire for the surgery to happen. It was a precaution Tsunade took, in case someone heard about it and decided to try and steal the eye for himself. Shizune was the only medic nin needed, a one woman team. Another precaution.

Kakashi touched the bandage on his face. They finally took the eye out in advance of the surgery, giving it time to get used to not be on his chakra. Shizune was keeping the eye alive with hers, helping it forget about Kakashi's signature.

He was worried. Did he pressure Sakura into doing something she didn't want?

Sakura was the type to do that, putting other people's feeling above her own. He… he can't let her do that for him. To hell with the Sharingan! Obito wouldn't want it to cause that much trouble, right?

With a decided step, he barged into the OR.

"Kakashi, we're about to start!" Shizune shouted.

He ignored her, "Sakura, I'm sorry I asked you to do this, I really shouldn't have. Let's go, ok? Forget about all of this."

Sakura got up from her position, looking at her sensei kindly, "Kakashi-sensei, it's ok. I want to do this."

"You don't have to say that for my sake. You're just a kid, I shouldn't have asked you to make such a life changing decision like this one."

She gave him a closed mouth smiled, "I'm doing this. Kakashi- "

She was suddenly cut off by the door across the hallway breaking open. Shouts were heard outside as several of what sounded like ninjas made their way towards them. Their intentions were very clear.

"Shit. I'll hold them off! Kakashi, you can't fight in your state." Shizune said, referring to the anesthetic she infused in him to take out the eye.

Kakashi knows he could if he wanted to but he decided to stay with his student. "Fine, I'll protect Sakura and the Sharingan. Give it to her!"

Shizune gave Sakura the eye and instructed her to keep the green chakra flowing, "I'll be back soon, ok? The eye can only survive so long outside a body, even with medical ninjutsu."

* * *

It was frustrating, having to stay out of a fight.

"How is she doing?" Sakura asked.

Kakashi peeked out of the door, "Good. She's fighting them off, but there's a lot of them... I should go help."

"Wait. Will she be back in five to ten minutes?"

"I don't think so, why?"

Sakura sighed, "Grab the bowl."

"What?"

"The bowl, a mirror, anything! Something I can see my reflection in!"

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm gonna do the surgery myself."

"Wha – no! Just wait for Shizune." Kakashi frowned.

"The eye won't wait for her to be done with them! I can feel it dying."

"You can't do it on yourself, removing the Sharingan from me was one thing but… you need to be unconscious, ok?"

Local anesthesia was fine for him, but Sakura's taking out a perfectly fonctioning eyeball and transplanting a non-compatible one in its place. She needs general anesthesia.

"I'm a medic ninja, Kakashi-sensei! I know damn well how nerves work! Look, if Rin was able transplant a fucking bloodline eye on you in a dirty cave while you were still awake, I think I can perform surgery on myself!"

_It's not the same thing, at all!_ Kakashi wanted to say. This was crazy. Eye transplants were the hardest forms of transplantation surgeries, only few medic ninjas are able to even do it, so for Sakura to attempt one on herself was absurd!

How is Kakashi only now realizing how much Sakura has grown? It must be the confidence she's exuding, as if she knew no doubt and no fear. Or maybe it's because she said fuck.

Kakashi nodded, still shocked and grabbed the bowl – the one Sakura's eye was supposed to be placed in after Shizune was supposed to take it out – and sat next to Sakura, facing her. He held it up in front of her face, powerlessly. What else could he do? He couldn't even hold her hand. Her hands are too busy making history.

Sakura put her thumb and index on her temple and her eyelid respectively, infusing herself with a chakra-anesthesic, while her other hand kept the Sharingan viable. She opened her eye wider.

"Kakashi-sensei… I need you to spread my eyelids apart."

He swallowed, and did as told.

Sakura started removing her own eyeball and it was too slow for Kakashi's liking. He knew she had the option of moving slower and taking her time unlike Rin, but the grunts and bodies slamming on the ground he's hearing outside the OR were seriously stressing him out.

Sakura ignored the blood oozing out her socket and manipulated her own eye between her fingers, two of them holding it while the other worked at severing the nerves without damage. Once that was done, the strings hung uselessly from her socket and she threw the globe on the ground without consideration.

Her teeth were ground as her jaw clenched. She must be in a lot of pain, since she couldn't numb herself too much - _since she's the one performing the surgery! _Kakashi still hadn't fully registered what was happening.

Sakura took over for Kakashi, not needing him to spread her eyelids anymore, and brought the Sharingan to the socket's level. She started working at connecting it to her optic nerve. She took a deep breath before doing so, then bit her lower lip hard when she connected the first few.

Kakashi tried to concentrate on the green aura surrounding Sakura's face, the sight of his student in pain hurting him more than he thought. He tried to ignore the blood trickling from her lip and her left eye socket.

He heard a whimper from her and it made him realize that the commotion outside stopped. Shizune barged in and her eyes widened at the sight in front of her.

"What the hell are you doing?" She approached the pair slowly as to not disturb the girl, "Sakura, honey, let me take it from here, ok?"

"You can't, it's too late. And I can't stop now anyway." Sakura replies coolly, keeping her voice soft so her face muscles don't move too much.

She looked almost done and Kakashi was suddenly aware of how long Shizune's been gone. Almost an hour. And she did look one high five away from passing out.

"What took you so long?"

The woman sighed, "Those weren't lamba ninjas, I think Orochimaru sent them."

"Why would he, he already has Sasuke?"

"Beats me. I just wonder how they heard about the surgery…"

Kakashi's already figured that out. They had a mole. And considering the very few people that knew about the time and place, it was someone high placed.

"I – I'm done…" Sakura said, right before collapsing forward on Kakashi. He held her up by the shoulders, allowing Shizune to recreate the jutsu Rin did on him years ago. The eye will hold on for a while, a short period of time during which Sakura will learn to keep the eye viable on her own.

* * *

"It's open!" Sakura said as someone knocked on her front door.

Kakashi walked in, observing the girl for a moment. She was sitting in a meditating position on her couch, her eyes closed and her fists touching. Her eyes sported large circles under them, an obvious sign of fatigue.

She probably couldn't get a moment's rest. She was still trying to get a continuous flow of green chakra between her eye and her body without using her hands. Hell, she probably hasn't abandoned the cell of her Byakugou. Fucking overachievers, he chuckled inwardly.

"Hey, how have you been?"

He hasn't seen her lot lately. She's been excused from duty for an undetermined period by the Fifth and spent most of her time at home.

"I'm good."

Sakura opened her eyes and got off the couch. It wasn't the first time he's seen her new look but guilt still hit him in the chest. She still looked like herself, but her left eye was black, contrasting with her other green eye. It's been weird thinking _this is Obito's eye on Sakura's face._

"I've actually managed to activate the Sharingan, finally."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, look."

She closed her eyes for a second, then opened them wider. The left eye was a blur of black and red as the three tomoe swirled around her iris. It finally settled, and Kakashi got his first look at Sakura's Sharingan.

"How do I look?" She giggled.

He swallowed back what he really wanted to say, "You look great. It truly fits you."

* * *

**A/N : thank you for reading! I marked the story complete because it's over on its own, but I might add one or two sequel chapters more centered on sakura's life after the transplant; there's _a_ _lot_ to explore and i've left some things unanswered just in case. if that's your thing, tell me in a review and hit that follow button! if not, don't and I'll leave this as a one-shot!**


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